Samantha Donovan, host: A Royal Australian Air Force jet has arrived in Kathmandu this afternoon carrying disaster relief supplies. Matt Thistlethwaite is the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He told me the goods on the flight were requested by the Government of Nepal.
Matt Thistlethwaite, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade: The plane that's landed has supplies that were requested by the Nepalese Government. They include hygiene kits, food and water supplies, as well as solar lights, and will now be distributed to the search area as quickly as possible.
Donovan: Are you being advised? There are going to be some challenges in distribution. We know, for example, so many roads and bridges have been washed away.
Assistant Minister: There certainly will be. The area has been decimated, the roads have been cut off, telecommunications infrastructure is down. Many of the power stations that supply power to the villages in that area have been destroyed as well. So, it's a logistical challenge. Most of it will go in on helicopters, but it's in Kathmandu at the moment. We'll hand it over to the Nepalese authorities and they'll get it into the region as quickly as possible.
Donovan: And were there also some Australian experts on that RAAF flight that are going to be helping out as well?
Assistant Minister: Yeah. We've sent 12 Australians to the region who have expertise in rapid response. We've sent some AFP officers and consular officials as well. They're performing a number of roles. They're working with and liaising with the Australian family members who are in Kathmandu, hoping for news of their loved ones, providing them with some comfort and information. And we've got people who are trained in management of these sort of crises, who are working with the Nepalese authorities as well. And if further requests are made by the Nepalese government, then we'll certainly strongly consider those and send further personnel if they're required.
Donovan: What other experts and goods do you think Australia could send if they're requested?
Assistant Minister: Well, we offered rescue and survival staff, but that was rejected by the Nepalese government. They thanked us for that offer. But there's 20,000 people, who are experts who are trained in this, from the Nepalese officials who are working in the region. Nepal, of course, is a popular area for trekking in the Himalayas. It's very dangerous and they have a lot of well trained staff and officials who specialise in this sort of work. So, we'll continue to assess any requests that we get from our friends in Nepal and provide as much support as we possibly can.
Donovan: One of our correspondents in Kathmandu, Natalie Whiting's just been telling me that some of the Australians there looking for missing loved ones really want the rescuers to be doing more, governments to be doing more to help find those Australians that are missing. Do you feel more can be done there?
Assistant Minister: Our thoughts are certainly with those Australians who are hoping for their loved ones to be returned. And obviously there's quite a bit of distress and anxiety amongst them. And that's why our ambassador in Nepal met with them the other day. He's continuing to work with them, to provide them with information, updates. We're limited in what we can do because of the danger in getting into the area and the roads being cut off. So, we're really working with and relying on the Nepalese authorities, but doing all we can to ensure that they're on the ground to try and relocate those Australians and return them safely for their families.
Donovan: It sounds like the Australian government is speaking a lot to the Nepali government. How does that compare with the amount of information you're getting from the Chinese government relating to the disaster on the Tibetan side of the border?
Assistant Minister: Well, we know that unfortunately there's been 16 deaths on the Tibetan side. There's still 546 people missing. And our officials in Beijing are working very closely with the Chinese government officials to ensure that we're doing everything we can to offer support. We did make an offer to the Chinese government for search and rescue capabilities and other support. Again, we were thanked, but the Chinese authorities indicated that they would handle the situation. So, we're doing as much as we possibly can in what is a very, very difficult situation. But predominantly our efforts are going to supporting the location of those Australians, supporting their family members and providing them with as much information as possible.
Donovan: Matt Thistlethwaite is the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.